Toy engine driven vehicle with starter



Nov. 26, 1963 J. w. MCROSKEY ETAL 3,111,785

TOY ENGINE DRIVEN VEHICLE WITH STARTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 6, 1957 JOHN W M: ROS/(E Y LEONARD H. McROS/(EK INVENTORS.

3,111,785 Patented Nov. 26, 1963 Fire TOY ENGINE DRIVEN VEHICLE WITH STARTER John W. McRoskey, West Los Angeles, and Leonard H.

McRoskey, Los Angeles, Calif., assignors, by mesne assignments, to American Machine & Foundry Company,

New York, N .Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed May 6, 1957, Ser. No. 657,235 11 Claims. (Cl. 46-78) This invention relates to engine driven toy vehicles, and in particular to an engine driven toy vehicle having toy engine starters of the recoil type having a projecting pull cord adapted to be pulled outwardly, the pulling force, applied to the pull cord, being transmitted through a clutch directly to the shaft so as to rotate the shaft forwardly as the pull cord is pulled outwardly. Each pull on the pull cord will rotate the engine shaft through several revolutions and will cause it to start providing it is supplied with the necessary fuel and ignition. When the toy engine is cold, improperly primed, or flooded with excess liquid fuel, it may not start in response to the first few pulls on the starter cord. This condition often leads careless or thoughtless persons to yank on the pull cord with excessive force, breaking the same or yanking the toy vehicle out of the hand which grasps it, with the possibility of injury to the toy vehicle.

It is an object of the invention to provide a toy driven vehicle having toy engine starter means with a projecting pull cord, wherein breakage of the pull cord in the manner set forth in the foregoing is avoided, thereby practically eliminating loss of service of the toy engine during time the replacement of the pull cord is being made, and practically avoiding the necessity of replacing the pull cord of the toy starter mechanism.

It is an objecting of the invention to provide a toy vehicle having a toy engine starter wherein the starting of the engine is effected upon release of the pull cord after it has been pulled outwardly manually by the operator, there being stop means for stopping the pull cord when it has returned to its initial or retracted position relative to the housing of the toy vehicle.

It is an object of the invention to provide a toy engine driven airplane or air vehicle having a propeller connected to the shaft of a toy engine mounted on the body of the air vehicle, and a toy starting means positioned in operative relation to the engine shaft and having a pull cord extending outwardly with relation to the vehicle body so that it may be manually grasped and pulled outwardly, the toy starter including means for storing the energy applied in pulling the pull cord outwardly and for applying this energy to the engine shaft, to rotate the same in forward or starting direction when the operator releases the end of the pull cord, there being means to rewind the pull cord and return it to its initial or retracted position when it is released. A feature of the invention is that there is practically no possibility of the pull cord becoming entangled with the propeller for the reason that the pull cord is moving toward retracted position as the engine shaft is rotated to accomplish a starting of the engine, and at the same time rotation of the propeller produces an air flow which acts to carry the projecting end of the pull cord away from the propeller.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple toy engine starter means wherein the starting rotation is applied to the toy engine crankshaft smoothly and consistently. In the operation of the device the energy for the starting rotation of the engine shaft is in predetermined magnitude stored in a spring which in tum applies the energy to the engine shaft without any jerking action. The operator, as previously explained, merely pulls the pull cord outwardly, without any jerking action, to its full extent and then releases the same. All tendency to jerk the cord is avoided; therefore, there is no danger of breaking the pull cord or of injury to the engine driven toy vehicle as the result of its dropping to the ground when jerked out of the holding hand as the result of a strong jerk being applied to the pull cord.

A further and important object of the invention is to provide a toy engine driven vehicle having starting means which always gives a maximum starting action consisting of a rapid, forceful initial movement of the engine parts in proper direction because the tension of the spring, and the starting force which it exerts are at highest value when the pull cord is pulled out to its full extent. Accordingly, when the pull cord is then released the spring initially applies its maximum starting force so that there is very rapid movement of the engine piston through its compression cycle. When the manually applied force of pulling out the pull cord is transmitted directly to the engine shaft, the rotation of the engine shaft may be slow or fast depending on the operator, but with our invention, the starting force and the manner of its application are consistently always the same regardless of the speed at which the pull cord is pulled out. This is of especial importance in the starting of toy engines having small flywheel effect.

Further objects and advantages of the invention may be brought out in the following part of the specification wherein detailed description is for the purpose of full disclosure without placing limitations on the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which are for illustrative purposes only:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a toy airplane having a toy engine, toy starter and propeller assembly mounted therein according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view of the forward end of the fuselage of the toy aircralfit showing the toy power assembly of the present invention, parts being broken away and sectioned substantially on line 2-2 of FIG. 3 to disclose the cooperative relationship of the parts;

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view showing the details of mounting and manner in which the flexible pull member is brought to the exterior of the fuselage; taken substantially on line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the clutch mechanism, taken substantially on line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line 5-5 of FIG. 2, showing the winding drum and pull cord;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view showing details of the rewind spring and its operative connections, taken substantially on line 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modified arrangement in which the starter mechanism is 3 mounted on the opposite side of the crankcase from the main shaft; and

FIG. 8 is a view diagrammatically illustrating a reed type of valve for controlling fuel admission to the engine.

Referring now generally to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIG. 1, a toy or miniature aircraft embodying the features of the present invention, this aircraft comprising a fuselage body 10 having wings 12 and 13 and tail structure 14 at one end of the fuselage. The other end of the fuselage is of hollow construction and provides an engine compartment, this end of the fuselage being streamlined and associated with a forward spinner 15. The power plant as generally indicated at 16 is mounted in the engine compartment and has a driving connection with a propeller 17. Fuel control 18 is brought out through an opening 19 in the fuselage of the engine compartment, and a flexible pull cord 20 is brought out through an opening 21 in the Wall of the fuselage, the openings 19 and 21 being positioned rearwardly of the propeller 17.

The combination of the toy vehicle propelling assembly comprising a toy engine, the propelling means and toy rewind starting means will be subsequently described in detail, but is generally of a construction in which the parts are compactly arranged in axial alignment and proper weight balance, the rewind starter means having a one-way clutching mechanism for starting the motor or engine in a driving direction by manually pulling out the pull cord 20 and then releasing the same. Placing of the pull cord rearwardly of the propeller provides a safety feature which is of great importance in small aircraft of this type in that the air stream from the propeller acts to blow the pull cord away from the propeller so that it may be rewound without becoming entangled so as to create an unsafe hazard for the young people who usually fly this type of plane.

Referring to FIG. 2, the toy engine of the power plant 16 has a crankcase 22 formed with a projecting sleeve 23 that provides a bearing support for a projecting main shaft 24. At its outer end, the main shaft is fitted with the propeller 17 of conventional construction and is secured in operative position by the spinner 15 and a screw 25 which extends therethrough and is threaded into the shaft 24.

As further shown in FIG. 2, the toy or miniature starter of the present invention is positioned between the engine crankcase structure and the propeller, and is partly contained within a stationary cupped member 26 which has a central tubular hub 27 adapted to surround the sleeve 23 upon which it is retained against movement. The cupped member has a cylindrical Wall or flange 28 open at its forward end.

Within the cupped member 26 there is a winding means in the form of a winding drum 33 having a tubular hub 34 adapted to be rotatably supported upon the outer surface of the sleeve 23. The inner end of this hub has an annular wall 29 which surrounds the hub 27. The opposite end 30 of the hub 34 lies closely adjacent to the inner end of a drivable member 31 which is held on the splined end 37 of the shaft 24.

At its inner end the winding drum 33 has, integrally formed with the hub 34, a circumferentially extending flange 36 which is grooved peripherally to form a circumferentially extending groove 37 which is adapted to windingly receive the flexible pull member 28'. The inner end of the pull member which consists of a cord is knotted at 39 and anchored in an opening 33 provided in the flange 36 below the groove 37. The free end of the pull member extends through an opening 441 provided in the wall 28 and through the opening 21 provided in the fuselage to the exterior and is provided with an end loop 41 to facilitate manual manipulation by an operator. Inwardly spaced from this looped end, the pull member has thereon a stop consisting of a knot 42 which limits the rewind movement of the pull member.

Adjacent the inner face of the flange 36, there is within the cupped member 26 a coiled spring 43, one end of this spring being positioned in a slot 44 in the flange 28, so as to anchor this end of the spring to the cupped member, as shown in FIG. 6. The inner end of the coiled spring is connected to the tubular hub 34 by any suitable means, such as a rivet 45, for example. The spring 43 is spiraled outwardly from the hub 34 in counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 6. Extending outwardly from.- the flange 36, the drum 34 has a cylindrical outer face 46 of a diameter which is substantially the same as the diameter of the adjacent outer cylindrical surface 47 of the drivable member 31. A clutch spring 48 is disposed upon the surfaces 46 and 47 'of the members 31 and 34, cooperating with them to form a onew ay clutch C. The spring 48 is formed of spring wire and is wound lefthand so that when the hub 34, as viewed in FIG. 4, is rotated in counterclockwise direction the spring 48 will tighten and grip both of the surfaces 46 and 47, thereby transmitting rotation in counterclockwise (forward) direction from the rotation means formed by the winding drum 33 to the drivable member 31 which is fixed on the shaft 24. This will rotate the engine in forward or starting direction.

The pull cord 20, as shown in FIG. 5, is wound outwardly from its connection at the opening 38 of the drum 33, in clockwise direction so that when, by manual ou* Ward pull on the loop 41, the pull cord is caused to unwind from the drum 33, it will rotate the drum 33 and the hub 34 in clockwise direction. When the hub 34 is rotated clockwise, it revolves within the overlying portion of the spring 48. At the same time, the inner end of the spring 43, due to its connection with the winding drum 33, will be rotated in clockwise direction, winding the spring 43 and storing therein energy which tends to rotate the winding drum 33. The cord 20 is ordinarily pulled out to full extent and upon release of the outwardly pulled end loop 41 the rotation applying means 33 is released and the energy stored in the spring 43 is transmitted in counterclockwise direction through the clutch spring 48 and the drivable member 31 to the engine shaft 24 rotating the same in engine-starting (counterclockwise) direction, While the counterclockwise rotation of the drum 33 rewinds and retracts the pull cord 29 back to the position thereof shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, wherein the stop 42 is in engagement with the flange 28 of the cup member 26.

During the rewinding of the pull cord 20, the spring 43 revolves the engine shaft 24 a number of revolutions, without any jerking action being applied to the toy airplane, for the reason that during the starting rotation of the engine shaft 24 there is no pulling force being applied to the pull cord 20. The rotation of the engine shaft 24 and the retraction of the pull cord 24 by the spring 43 occur simultaneously; therefore, the pull cord 20 is partly or fuliy retracted when the starting of the engine occurs. The revolving of the propeller 17 produces a flow of air which will carry the extending portion of the pull cord 20 rearwardly away from the propeller 17, the result being that there is practically no possibility of the pull cord 20 becoming entangled with the propeller 17.

The drivable member 31 is formed with an annular raised surface 51 which is provided with a roughened or knurled face 52, as shown in FIG. 3, which is arranged to abut the adjacent surface of the propeller hub and form a friction non-slip engagement therewith.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a modified starter construction will be described, which is arranged for mounting on the opposite side of the crankcase from the position shown in FIG. 2. In the modified arrangement, similar parts are indicated by the same numerals as in the form previously described. The modified arrangement is constructed so that it may be mounted upon existing engines, and furnished as an attachment which may be positioned in the place now occupied by the fuel tank 53, FIG. 2.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the crankcase is provided with a threaded opening 54 which receives the threaded end of a tubular bushing 55, this end of the bushing being provided with a circumferentially extending flange 56 which is adapted to bear against a sealing gasket 57 so as to sealingly mount the bushing in the crankcase opening.

Instead of mounting the starter parts in connection with the main shaft, the modified arrangement makes use of an auxiliary shaft 58 which is rotatably mounted within the tubular bushing 55. The auxiliary shaft is longitudinally retained in position within the bushing by the drivable member 31, secured at one end by a securing screw 59, and by means of an end flange 60 at the opposite end of the auxiliary shaft.

As shown, the main shaft 24 carries a crank pin 61 which connects with the engine piston rod 62. Provision is made for also driving the auxiliary shaft 58 in concert with the main shaft 24 by the provision of a slot or opening 63 in the end flange 60, this slot or opening being adapted to receive the outer end of the crank pin 61 therein.

The modified starter construction embodies the inherent advantages of the starter construction which is arranged to be mounted between the engine and the propeller, the main difference being that in the modified construction provision is made for mounting the modified construction on the rear side of the crankcase in which position it may be readily used as an attachment for an existing engine, a minimum of changes in the engine construction being re quired in order to utilize the starter therewith.

The toy engine starter prevents operation of the engine which will impart reverse rotation to the propelling means. Small toy engines of the type shown herein will start in either direction of rotation. Other toy engines will operate in reverse. For the supply of fuel thereto there may be a fuel supply conduit such as shown at 64 in FIG. 8, having a partition 65 with a fuel opening 66 therein controlled by a reed 67 arranged to open in response to suction created in the engine when the shaft is rotated in either direction. In the present invention, the stop means 42, acting in conjunction with the one-way clutch means of frictionally engaging type, prevents rotation of the engine shaft which will revolve the propeller 17 in reverse direction.

We claim:

1. In a toy engine driven airplane, the combination of: a hollow fuselage having an opening at its forward end; a toy engine mounted in said fuselage and having shaft means, one part of which projects forwardly toward said opening; a propeller outside said opening secured to said shaft means; a nonrotatable sleeve supported by said toy engine concentric to said shaft means; a drivable member in said fuselage secured to said shaft means; starter rotation means in said fuselage rotatable on said nonrotatable sleeve; one-way overrunning clutch means in said fuselage connecting said rotation means and said drivable member so that forward rotation of said rotation means will be transmitted to said drivable member; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord extending through an opening in said fuselage to the exterior of the said fuselage so that the end of said pull cord will be positioned for manual engagement to effect pulling out of the pull cord whereby it will rotate said rotation means in said rearward direction; and spring means connected to said rotation means and to said pull cord so that the pulling out of said pull cord will wind said spring means and store energy therein and so that when the pulled out pull cord is released, said spring means will return said pull cord to its initial position and rotate said rotation means forwardly and accomplish forward rotation of said shaft means.

2. In a toy engine driven airplane, the combination of: a hollow fuselage having an opening at its forward end; a toy engine mounted in said fuselage and having a shaft projecting forwardly toward said opening, the front end of said engine being spaced rearwardly from said opening so as to provide a space in said fuselage ahead of said engine; a toy propeller secured to said shaft in axial alignment therewith and outside said fuselage; a drivable member in said space surrounding and secured to said shaft; starter rotation means in said space rotatably surrounding said shaft; one-way overrunning clutch means connecting said drivable member and said rotation means so that forward rotation of said rotation means will be transmitted to said drivable member; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord extending through an opening in said fuselage to the exterior of the said fuselage so that the end of said pull cord will be positioned for manual engagement to effect pulling out of the pull cord whereby it will rotate said rotation means in said rearward direction; and spring means connected to said rotation means and to said pull cord so that the pulling out of said pull cord will wind said spring means and store energy therein and so that when the pulled out pull cord is released, said spring means will return said pull cord to its initial position and rotate said rotation means forwardly and accomplish forward rotation of said shaft means.

3. In a toy engine driven airplane, the combination of: a hollow fuselage having an opening at its forward end; a toy engine mounted in said fuselage and having shaft means, one part of which projects forwardly toward said opening; a propeller outside said opening secured to said shaft means; a nonrotatable sleeve supported by said toy engine concentric to said shaft means; a drivable member in said fuselage secured to said shaft means; starter rotation means in said fuselage rotatable on said nonrotatable sleeve; one-way overrunning clutch means in said fuselage connecting said drivable member and said rotation means so that forward rotation of said rotation means will be transmitted to said drivable member; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord extending through an opening in said fuselage to the exterior of the said fuselage so that the end of said pull cord will be positioned for manual engagement to effect pulling out of the pull cord whereby it will rotate said rotation means in said rearward direction; spring means connected to said rotation means and to said pull cord so that the pulling out of said pull cord will wind said spring means and store energy therein and so that when the pulled out pull cord is released, said spring means will return said pull cord to its initial position and rotate said rotation means forwardly and accomplish forward rotation of said shaft means; and means for preventing reverse operation of said shaft means.

4. In a toy engine driven airplane, the combination of: a hollow fuselage having an opening at its forward end; a toy engine mounted in said fuselage and having a shaft projecting forwardly toward said opening, the front end of said engine being spaced rearwardly from said opening so as to provide a space in said fuselage ahead of said engine; a toy propeller secured to said shaft in axial alignment therewith and outside said fuselage; a drivable member in said space surrounding and secured to said shaft; starter rotation means in said space rotatably surrounding said shaft; one-way overrunning clutch means connecting said drivable member and said rotation means so that forward rotation of said rotation means will be transmitted to said drivable member; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord extending through an opening in said fuselage to the exterior of the said fuselage so that the end of said pull cord will be positioned for manual engagement to efifect pulling out of the pull cord whereby it will rotate said rotation means in said rearward direction; and spring means connected to said rotation means so as to be wound when said rotation means is rotated in rearward direction by said pull cord,

7 and so that said spring means upon release of winding force applied thereto will unwind and rotate said rotation member in forward direction to effect through said one-way clutch and said drivable member forward rotation of said shaft means.

5. In a toy engine driven airplane, the combination of: a hollow fuselage having an opening at its forward end; a toy engine mounted in said fuselage and having shaft means, one part of which projects forwardly toward said opening; a propeller outside said opening secured to said shaft means; a nonrotatable sleeve supported by said toy engine concentric to said shaft means; a drivable member in said fuselage secured to said shaft means; starter rotation means in said fuselage rotatable on said nonrotatable sleeve; one-way overrunning clutch means in said fuselage connecting said drivable member and said rotation means so that forward rotation of said rotation means will be transmitted to said drivable member; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord extending from said rotation means into the slip stream of said propeller; and spring means connected to said rotation means and to said pull cord so that the pulling out of said pull cord will wind said spring means and store energy therein and so that when the pulled out pull cord is released, said spring means will return said pull cord to its initial position and rotate said rotation means forwardly and accomplish forward rotation of said shaft means.

6. In a toy engine driven air vehicle, the combination of: a body structure; a toy engine near the end of said body structure having a shaft projecting therefrom; a toy propeller mounted on the end of said toy engine shaft and spaced from said engine so as to provide a space between said propeller and said engine; a drivable member in said space surrounding and secured to said shaft; starter rotation means in said space rotatably surrounding said shaft; one-way overrunning clutch means in said space for connecting said drivable member and said rtation means when said rotation means is rotated in forward direction, to rotate said drivable member in forward direction; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord extending from said space in a position rear wardly of said propeller; a rewind spring in said space; and means connecting one end of said spring to said engine and the other end to said starter rotation means so that when said pull cord is released after being pulled out, said spring will rotate said rotation means in forward direction and rewind said pull cord.

7. In a toy engine driven air vehicle, the combination of: a body structure; a toy engine near the end of said body structure, said engine having a projecting shaft; a toy propeller mounted on the end of said toy engine shaft and spaced from said engine so as to provide a space between said propeller and said engine; a drivable member secured to said shaft; starter rotation means adjacent said drivable member and rotatab ly surrounding said shaft; one-way overrunning spring clutch means for connecting said drivable member and said rotation means when said rotation means is rotated in forward direction, to rotate said drivable member in forward direction; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord extending from said space; and spring means connected to said rotation means so that it will be wound by rotation of said rotation means in said rearward direction and upon release of said pull cord will efiect forward, engine starting rotation of said rotation means.

8. In a toy engine driven vehicle, the combination of: a body structure; a toy engine on said body structure, said engine having a projecting shaft; drivable means on said shaft; starter rotation means rotatab-ly surrounding said shaft; one-way overrunning clutch means for connecting said drivable means and said rotation means when said rotation means is rotated in forward direction, to rotate said drivable means in forward, engine starting direction; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord having an end extending outwardly from said rotation means; and spring means connected to said rotation means so that it will be wound by rotation of said rotation means in said rearward direction and which spring, upon release of said pull cord, will effect forward, engine starting rotation of said rotation means.

9. In. a toy engine driven vehicle, the combination of: a toy housing structure; a toy engine mounted on said housing structure, said engine having a projecting shaft; and a toy recoil starter surrounding said shaft, having a drivable means on said shaft, starter rotation means rotatably surrounding said shaft including one-way overrunning clutch means engageable with said drivable means to rotate same, a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same rearwardly, said pull cord having a manually engageable portion extending outwardly for manual engagement to effect pulling out of the pull cord whereby it will rotate said rotation means in said rearward direction, and spring means connected to said rotation means and to said pull cord so that the pulling out of said pull cord will wind said spring means and store energy therein as said rotation means is rotated rearwardly, and so that when the pulled out pull cord is released, said spring means will rotate said rotation means forwardly, accomplish forward, engine starting rotation of said shaft means and return said pull cord to its initial position.

10. In a toy engine driven vehicle, the combination of: a toy housing structure; a toy engine mounted on said housing structure, said engine having a projecting shaft; drivable means secured to said shaft; starter rotation means rotatab-ly surrounding said shaft; one-way overrunning clutch providing means of engagement between said rotation means and said drivable means to rotate same in forward, engine starting direction; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord having a manually engageablle portion extending outwardly for manual engagement to effect pulling out of the pull cord whereby it will rotate said rotation means in said rearward direction; spring means connected to said rotation means and to said pull cord so that the pulling out of said pull cord will wind said spring means and store energy therein as said rotation means is rotated rearwardly, and so that when the pui led out pull cord is released, said spring means will rotate said rotation means forwardly and accomplish forward, engine starting rotation of said shaft means and return said pull cord to its initial position; and stop means for limiting the forward rotation of said rotation means and the retraction of said Pull cord.

11. In a toy engine driven vehicle, the combustion of: a toy housing structure; a toy engine mounted on said housing structure, said engine having a projecting shaft; drivable means secured to said shaft having a cylindrical face; starter rotation means rotatably surrounding said shaft having a cylindrical face adjacent said cylindrical face of said drivable means; one-way overrunning clutch comprising a spring member surrounding said cylindrical faces of said rotation means and said drivable means, said spring member being wound so that it will provide means of engagement between said rotation means and said drivable means to rotate same in forward, engine starting direction; a pull cord operatively connected to said rotation means to rotate the same in rearward direction, said pull cord having a manually engageable portion extending outwardly for manual engagement to effect pulling out of the pull cord whereby it will rotate said rotation means in said rearward direction; spring means connected to said rotation means and to said pull cord so that the pulling out of said pull cord will wind said spring means and store energy therein as said rotation means is rotated rearwardly, and so that when the pulled out pull cord is released, said spring means Will rotate said rotation means forwardly and accomplish forward, engine starting rotation of said shaft means and return said pull cord to its initial position; and stop means for limiting the forward rotation oi said rotation means and the retraction of said pull cord.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 11) Riviera Sept. 15, 1925 Gorske et a1 Oct. 25, 1949 Weirner Sept. 18, 1951 Moulton June 30, 1953 Crippen Oct. 27, 1953 Bouliing'nouse July 30, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS France May 30, 1951 

8. IN A TOY ENGINE DRIVEN VEHICLE, THE COMBINATION OF: A BODY STRUCTURE; A TOY ENGINE ON SAID BODY STRUCTURE, SAID ENGINE HAVING A PROJECTING SHAFT; DRIVABLE MEANS ON SAID SHAFT; STARTER ROTATION MEANS ROTATABLY SURROUNDING SAID SHAFT; ONE-WAY OVERRUNNING CLUTCH MEANS FOR CONNECTING SAID DRIVABLE MEANS AND SAID ROTATION MEANS WHEN SAID ROTATION MEANS IS ROTATED IN FORWARD DIRECTION, TO ROTATE SAID DRIVABLE MEANS IN FORWARD, ENGINE STARTING DIRECTION; A PULL CORD OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID ROTATION MEANS TO ROTATE THE SAME IN REARWARD DIRECTION, SAID PULL CORD HAVING AN END EXTENDING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID ROTATION MEANS; AND SPRING MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID ROTATION MEANS SO THAT IT WILL BE WOUND BY ROTATION OF SAID ROTATION MEANS 